title: Flow cytometry.
abstract: There are several commercial flow cytometers on the market. They all operate on the same basic principle, but there are important differences in their design, and the methods for alignment, and so on, depend on the type of instrument. In this chapter, therefore, we describe procedures for preparing samples and limit description of the flow cytometry to comments about important features of the analysis. One of the exciting applications of the techniques is the ability to sort cells. Good separation of cells demands good preparation of the sample and adequate analysis. Although procedures for sorting cells are not given for reasons given above (see Chapter 41 , this vol.), the methods described in this chapter and the comments about analysis are applicable. A description of the basic principles involved in the design and operation of a flow cytometer can be found in references 1 and 2. An associated microcomputer is important, since multi-parametric data cannot be analyzed adequately without this accessory. The comments on analysis assume that there is an adequate facility for computing.
authors.affiliation: The Haddow Laboratories, Institute of Cancer Research, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ormerod
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Imrie